
Book_iZ/j£^iL_ 



y^ 



58th Congress) 
3d Session I 



House of Representatives 



( Document 
\ No. 469 



' 



NORTON R OTIS 

( Late a Representative from New York ) 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES DELIVERED IN 
THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



Third Session of the 
Fifty-eighth Congress 



Compiled under the Direction of the Joint Committee on Printing 



WASHINGTON: GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1905 



TABLE OF CONTEXTS 



Page 

Proceedings in the House 5 

Prayer by Rev. Henry X. Couden 7 

Address of Mr. Sherman, of New York 9 

Address of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire 12 

Address of Mr. Smith, of New York 15 

Address of Mr. Rider, of New York 18 

Address of Mr. < Joulden, of New York 20 

Address of Mr. Cooper, of Pennsylvania 23 

Address of Mr. Bouvnge, of Colorado 26 

Address of Mr. Stevens, of Minnesota 29 

Address of Mr. Dunwell, of New York 35 

Proceedings in the Senate 39 



Death of Representative Norton P. Otis 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE 

February 20, 1905. 
death of representative norton p. otis. 

Mr. Payne. Mr. Speaker, it becomes my sad duty to 
announce the death of my late colleague, Hon. Norton P. 
Otis, which occurred at his home in Youkers, N. Y., this 
morning. I send the following resolutions to the Clerk's desk. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound regret of the 
untimely death of Hon. Norton P. Otis, late a Representative from the 
State of New York. 

Resolved, That a committee of eleven members of the House, with 
such members of the Senate as may he joined, he appointed to attend the 
funeral. 

Resolved, That the Serjeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives 
be authorized and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for 
carrying out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary 
expense in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent fund of the 
House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions "to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to. 

The Speaker appointed as a committee to attend the funeral 
Mr. Sherman, Mr. Currier. Mr. Smith of New York. Mr. Sul- 
zer, Mr. Douglas, Mr. Bassett, Mr. Golden, Mr. Bonynge, Mr. 
Legare, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. Dickerman. 

Mr. Payne. Mr. Speaker, as a further mark of respect to 
the deceased member, I move that the House do now adjourn. 

5 



6 Proceedings in the House 

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 7 o'clock and 10 
minutes p. m. ) the House adjourned until to-morrow at 12 
o'clock noon. 

February 22, 1905. 

message from the senate. 

A message from the Senate, by Mr. Parkinson, its reading 
clerk, announced that the Senate had passed without amend- 
ment the following resolutions: 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the an- 
nouncement (if the death of Hon. Norton I'. OTIS, late a Representative 
from the State of New York. 

Resolved, That a committee of five Senators he appointed by the Pre- 
siding Officer to join the committee appointed on the part of the House 
of Representatives to take order for superintending the funeral of the 
deceased. 

Resolved, That as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the 
House of Representatives. 

And that the Presiding Officer had announced the appoint- 
ment of Mr. Depew, Mr. Burrows, Mr. F.lkins, Mr. Martin, 
and Mr. Blackburn as the committee on the part of the 
Senate to join the committee on the part of the House of 
Representatives. 

February 24. 1905. 

obskouies of the late representative otis. 

Mr. Sherman. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
Sunday, the 26th instant, be fixed as the time when his 
associates may express their views on the life and character 
of the late Norton P. Otis. 

The Speaker. The gentleman from New York asks unani- 
mous consent that on Sunday next there be exercises on the 
life and character of the late Norton P. Otis. Is there 
objection? 

There was no objection. 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 

Sunday, February 26, Jyoj. 

The House was called to order at 12 o'clock noon by William 
J. Browning, Chief Clerk, who announced that the Speaker had 
designated the Hon, William P. Hepburn as Speaker pro tem- 
pore for this day. 

Mr. Hepburn took the chair as Speaker pro tempore. 

The Chaplain, Rev. Henry N. Couden, D. D., offered the 
following prayer: 

Our Father who art in heaven, we thank Thee for that deep 

and ever-abiding faith which looks up to Thee as the creator, 

upholder, and sustainer of all, and for that eternal hope which 

binds us to Thee by ties which neither time nor space can sever. 

"For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, 

nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things 

to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be 

able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ 

Jesus, our Lord." For without these angels from Thy heart. 

O God, life would be indeed a desert without a single oasis to 

cheer the weary traveler on his way. With these even the 

mystery of death is solved, so when it comes and takes away 

our dear ones we can throw ourselves into the everlasting arms 

and feel the warm pulsations of a heavenly Father's heart and 

say : 

There is no death! What seem-, so is transition; 

This life of mortal breath 
Is but a suburb of the life elysian, 

Whose portal we eall Death. 

7 



8 Memorial Addresses 

So send, we beseech Thee, our heavenly Father, these angels 
to comfort the hearts of the colleagues, friends, and families of 
those for whom we have gathered here to-day in loving remem- 
brance, and Thine be the praise forever, through Jesus Christ, 
our Lord. Amen. 

THE LATE HON. NORTON P. OTIS. 

Mr. Sherman. Mr. .Speaker, I offer the resolutions which 
I send to the Clerk's desk. 

The Speaker pro tempore. The Clerk will report the reso- 
lutions. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the business of the House of Representatives be now 
suspended that opportunity may be given for tribute to the memory of 
Hon. Norton P. OTIS, late a Member of the House of Representatives 
from the State of New York. 

Resolved, That as a special mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased, and in recognition of his eminent abilities as a distinguished 
and useful public servant, citizen, and man, the House, at the conclusion 
of these exercises, stand adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk of the House communicate these resolutions 
to the Senate of the United States. 

Resolved, That the Clerk also transmit a copy of these resolutions to 
the family of the deceased. 



Address of Mr. Sherman, of New York 



Address of Mr. Sherman, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: Norton P. Otis was a Yermonter by birth. 
He was born in 1840. During his manhood life he demon- 
strated the possession of those sterling qualities which seem 
indigenous to Vermont soil. 

Measured by whatever standard the world may choose, 
Norton P. Otis was a most successful man. His was not 
tile success made public by public print, by the manipulation 
of the so-called "frenzied finance," nor by the notoriety 
acquired by some unusual accomplishment, but rather it was 
the success that came by patient plodding, careful thought, 
and continuous and unceasing effort. What he acquired he 
worked for, and in every effort of life the same thoroughness 
that characterized him in business brought him the "well 
done" of those with whom he was associated. It was to 
no individual more than to Mr. Otis that the privilege was 
given of changing the topography and business of our great 
centers. It was he who first saw the great future of the 
company of which he was the head. By the complete mas- 
tery of the details of the business he was able to improve 
on the "lifts" of the past until they became the fastest 
elevators of the present. By so doing he made it possible 
for a whole town to be housed on a small space of ground. 

It would lie difficult to imagine what our great cities would 
be were it not for the elevator service of to-day. The values 
in real estate have been enhanced by the removal of the 
skyward limit of use of a single plot. The massing of ^reat 



to Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

volumes of business within an exceedingly contracted terri- 
tory in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, which has so 
materially aided the wondrous growth of the great commer- 
cial centers, is largely due to the practical thought of Mr. 
Otis and his associates. 

From early manhood up to the very day of his death Mr. 
Otis kept close watch of all the details of his business, ever 
looking for improvements and ever seeking to draw about him 
the best inventive skill and genius. While perhaps he may 
not be called a captain of finance, he certainly was a general 
in business. 

But the value of Mr. Otis to the community was not con- 
fined to the great business of which he was master. He was 
great in his home life, in the community in which he lived, 
and in public affairs in which he was interested. In many 
respects he was a model citizen, because he was large enough 
to give his time and thought not only to the development of 
his chosen work but to all the affairs which help to build up 
the community and develop the State and nation. 

Even while he was busiest in his own work, he was ever 
ready to respond to the call of his fellow-citizens to the work 
in city, State, or nation. As a member of the New York State 
legislature and as mayor of the city of Yonkers he made a 
record for himself that is a heritage to his family and com- 
munity. No more painstaking, industrious, or careful public 
servant ever occupied a public office than he, and every public 
position which he occupied was always accepted with the 
perfect knowledge that it was a personal sacrifice upon his 
part; was accepted in response to duty rather than desire. 
But he never hesitated, for to him duty was more precious 
than money. As president of the New York State commission 
to the Paris Exposition his work was preeminently satisfactory. 



Address of Mr. Sherman, of New York 11 

By personal solicitation and effort he succeeded in favorably 
impressing the State which he represented upon the exposition 
juries, and because of his personality and effort he was recog- 
nized by the French Government with a decoration. 

His service here was but a single term, and during that 
period he was battling the disease which finally- became 
victor in bis death. To many, therefore, he was possibly 
but slightly known, and the impress he made was slight 
compared to that made in former public service. Those, 
however, closely associated with him, who saw most of him, 
who knew him best, recognized in him those qualities which 
go to make a real man. Those who knew him will miss 
him, but we are the richer because of his character, his life, 
and his worth. 

It was, however, in his home life that the great strength 
of his character was particularly noticeable. Those who 
have had the privilege of catching a glimpse of that life will 
never forget its beautiful simplicity. Methodical and rugged 
in business, in his home he was ever a tender, devoted, and 
thoughtful husband and father. His was an ideal home; he 
the ideal husband and father. 

If greatness must contain the ingredient of success, if it 
must have character in its composition, and if goodness is a 
sine qua non of its make-up, Norton P. Otis was indeed 
truly great. 



12 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 



Address of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire 

Mr. Speaker: When Speaker Cannon appointed the com- 
mittees for this Congress, Mr. Skiles, of Ohio, was named as 
chairman of the Committee on Patents, and I was made the 
ranking member. Very early in the second session Mr. Skiles 
died, and I was appointed by the Speaker as chairman, and 
Mr. Otis became the ranking member of that committee, and 
now he, too, has crossed the dark river. Mr. Otis was elected 
to the Fifty-eighth Congress, from a district previously Demo- 
cratic, at a time when the political tide was running strongly 
against his party. Probably no other Republican could have 
been elected from that district at that time. We, who came to 
know something of him here, could readily understand his 
great strength with the people who knew him well. His brief 
sendee here was altogether creditable to him and to the district 
he represented. It so happened that I saw little of him except 
in the committee room, but there I quickly came to rely on 
his good judgment and sound sense always displayed in any 
discussion involving matters, often somewhat intricate, pend- 
ing before the committee. At the head of a great manufactur- 
ing enterprise, himself an inventor, the work of the committee 
was congenial to him, and he was peculiarly fitted to act as an 
adviser regarding the practical working of our patent system. 
His quickness of apprehension, his exact information, his 
sound judgment, and the interest he took and the industry he 
displayed in the work of the committee made him a most 
valuable member. 

His kindness, his sincerity and frankness, his perfect 
courtesv and the charm of his manners made the members of 



Address of Mr. Currier, of New Hampshire 13 

that committee his loving friends. That in all his dealings he 
was perfectly honest goes without saying — few men ever come 
to this House who do not possess that quality— but he possessed 
that rarer quality, perfect intellectual integrity : he never quib- 
bled or unfairly stated a proposition. The House had the 
benefit of his services for only the first two sessions of this 
Congress. Failing health prevented his attending the House 
this winter and caused him to decline a reelection. Long before 
he came to Congress he took an active interest in public affairs 
and served his city and State, as we who knew him even 
slightlv know, ably and well. It is said that a man who makes 
two ears of corn and two blades of grass to grow where only 
one grew before is a public benefactor. If that be true, then 
certainly there are few fields of human endeavor in which a 
capable, generous, and high-minded man can lie of more benefit 
to his fellows than in building up and maintaining a great 
business enterprise which gives steady employment at good 
wages, in season and out, to hundreds of men. 

This Mr. Otis did, and he did more — he took always an 
active personal interest in the individual welfare of those he 
employed. He was their loyal friend, realizing to the fullest 
extent all their just claims upon him and freely granting them, 
and in all their troubles they had his sympathy and aid. And 
his men in return were loyal and faithful to him. as men usually 
are to such an employer, not envious of his success, but proud 
of it and of the share they had in bringing it about. No lock- 
outs or strikes ever marred the conduct of his business. When 
a great manufacturing enterprise or a great railroad lias at 
its head a man who takes a kindly and generous interest in 
the welfare of the men in its employ, always ready to listen 
patiently to their grievances and quick to remedy them as far 
as possible, there is little danger of developing there any of 
those senseless agitators who contend that those who do the 



14 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

mere manual work produce all and are entitled to all. In 
his generous heart there was no room for prejudice against the 
attempt of laboring men to better their condition by organiza- 
tion. He realized how much of good the great labor organi- 
zations have accomplished, and with their main aim he was in 
entire sympathy. The last time I ever saw him he stood upon 
this floor in charge of a bill asked for by the typographical 
union, reported from the Committee on Patents, to protect the 
printers of this country from an unfair foreign competition. I 
said to him that if there was opposition to the bill, I would see 
that he had support from both sides of the Chamber, but he 
needed none, and the bill passed. An able public servant, an 
exceedingly capable business man, kind, courteous, a gentleman 
always, he will be long missed and mourned. 



Address of Mr. Smith, of New York 15 



Address of Mr. Smith, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: At the flood tide of a distinguished and suc- 
cessful career, when experience had equipped him to render still 
greater service to his fellow-man; standing on the threshold of 
a- most promising Congressional life, enjoying to a high degree 
the confidence and affection of his colleagues; just when his 
children, of whom he was justly proud, were approaching man- 
hood and womanhood, at a time when he and his devoted wife 
could most enjoy the fruits of their mutual devotion to their 
children, Xortox P. Otis was cut off in the full flower of his 
usefulness. Surely God's ways are past finding out. We who 
survive know that from the world's working force has been 
subtracted a man whose influence was most potent for good, 
who helped all with whom his life came in touch; and while it 
is difficult for us to understand why he should have been taken 
away just at this time we believe that He "who maketh all 
things to work together for the good of those who love Him " 
knew best, and that Norton P. Otis's part in God's grand 
plan of human life had been accomplished. His part was no 
small part. To him were granted rare opportunities and unu- 
sual ability to serve his fellow-men in many of the walks of life. 
As a philanthropist he was most generous, giving not only lib- 
erally of his means, but out of a very busy life he found time 
to take a most active interest in many lines of charitable work. 

In the city of his adoption he was an ever-present force for 
the betterment of all its civic conditions. He devoted consid- 
erable of his time to increasing the efficiency of the public 
schools, served in many of the other departments of city 



1 6 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

government, and when called by a large majorityof his townsmen 
to the chief executive office of Yonkers discharged his duties as 
mayor of that city with great judgment and skill. In the leg- 
islative halls of his State and in the council of the nation, as a 
Member of this body, he was faithful, fearless, and incorruptible. 

He was a man of large affairs, and in the business world 
was one of the captains of industry. Bringing to the devel- 
opment of the Otis elevator a practical and inventive mind, 
he perfected that lift until it stands foremost in the world. 
He was especially beloved by his employees, and during 
the many years that he was the master spirit of that immense 
business he enjoyed the confidence and affection of those in 
his employ. So fair and just was he to them that during all 
those years there was never a strike or any serious disagree- 
ment between himself and his hundreds of employees. 

In his own city he was the champion of everything that 
was progressive and for the best welfare of the entire com- 
munity. Public spirited, broad minded, he possessed the 
respect and friendship of all who knew him. By his modest, 
unassuming manners, by the warmth of his sympathy and 
the wisdom of his counsel, he won and held men. 

Mr. Speaker, however high we may climb on the ladder of 
fame, no matter what success we may achieve in the battle 
of life, nothing, no, nothing, can compare to the satisfaction 
of knowing we stand well at home. To have won in so 
high a degree as did Norton P. Otis the friendship and 
esteem of those whom he came in contact witli from day to 
day is one of the greatest of his life's achievements. 

With a courage that never wavered, he bore patiently and 
without murmuring the slow tortures of his dread disease, 
fully realizing that there could be but one ending. At his 
beautiful home, so appropiately named " Buena Vista," situ- 



Address of Mr. Smith, of New York 17 

ated on the banks of the Hudson River, overlooking the 
historic Palisades, he awaited the inevitable summons, sus- 
tained by an unfaltering trust in Providence, by the loving 
sympathy of wife and children, and by the knowledge that, 
as with the lamp of memory he turned the pages of his 
life's work and ran up and down the columns of life's suc- 
cesses and life's defeats, high, high in the column must 
prized by him would be found this credit entry: " NORTON 
P. Otis stands well with his friends and neighbors at home." 
H. Doc. 469, 58-3 2 



Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 



Address of Mr. Rider, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: At such a time as this to pay a tribute of respect 
to a good man and a colleague is a sad and solemn duty. Time 
and time again amid the hurry and bustle, the excitement and 
confusion of life, we are brought face to face with the stern 
reality of its speedy termination. Next to life the most sig- 
nificant symbol is death. "Death is an uusurveyed land and 
unarranged science. ' ' The poet contemplates death only for a 
moment and draws back in terror. The historian recognizes it 
as an universal fact. The philosopher finds it the basis of much 
speculation — this great mystery of being not. All contribu- 
tions to this dread theme are marked by a mystical vagueness, 
and the shadows dwell heavily on every pathway of approach. 

Yesterday we accepted as a gift from one of the great Com- 
monwealths the statues of two of its heroes — men who have 
left their impress upon the citizenship of their State; men whose 
names will live for centuries. 

I sometimes think that in our intense admiration and hero 
worship for great captains and statesmen we sometimes lose 
sight of the men who march in the ranks. We are too narrow 
and exclusive in our notions of what constitutes goodness and 
greatness. Privates of the army are just as essential to the 
success of the battle as the general who plans it. 

This is well illustrated by the life of the man in whose mem- 
ory we have met to-day. 

It is an easy matter to summarize the striking incidents and 
to mention the successes of a man's career. To speak of the 
Hon. Norton P. Otis as the mayor of the city of Yonkers, as 



Address of Mr. Rider, of New York 19 

a member of the New York State legislature, as one of the 
members of the commission from New York at the World's 
Exposition at Paris, as a member of Congress, does not by any 
means tell us the story of his life. 

As a representative business man of the city of New York, 
the head of a great corporation, he stands out as a striking 
illustration of an employer full of sympathy with those he 
employed ; an example of fair dealing and high-mindedness in 
these days of frenzied finance and wild speculation. He has 
left a lasting impress upon the commercial life of the country 
and contributed much to the general good of his fellow-man 
along these lines. His wide and unostentatious charity was 
the means of relieving hundreds of distress. The charm and 
purity of his domestic life made his home truly representative. 
His delightful personality seemed to irradiate goodness. By 
all these qualities he made for himself an immortality incorpo- 
rate in the lives of those with whom he was brought in con- 
tact. His life tended to the betterment of mankind. One oi 
a vast army who work — 

That each to-morro\v 

Find us farther than to-day. 

It is not ours to measure relative merit or award the palm of 
virtue; of one thing only are we certain, that for all lovers 
and servers of humanity (whatever may have been their sta- 
tion in life 1 there is reserved, not a niche in the grand valhalla 
of the Northern Gods or a bower in the chill and pallid moon- 
light of a Greek Elysium, but a welcome ami a home in that 
beautiful and tranquil world which is the goal of all our 
earthly aspirations — the world of solved problems, of realized 
ideals, of yearning affections quenched in the fullness of frui- 
tions, that world where the spirit is ever willing and the flesh 
never weak. 



2o Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 



Address of Mr. Goulden, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: On Monday, February 20, the flags on the 
nation's Capitol announced the death of a man prominent in 
the life and activities of the country. 

Though in his first term, Norton P. Otis had, in his 
quiet and dignified way, made many friends in Congress. 
His lovable, kindly disposition drew and held men to him. 

On account of poor health while here he did not exhibit 
that energy and force which characterized a busy and suc- 
cessful life. 

As his neighbor, representing the city portion of what was 
formerly the old Sixteenth district, it was my good fortune 
to meet and confer frequently with him. The interests of 
the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Congressional districts were 
identical in many respects. 

The relations of the people were close and intimate; our 
residences were but a few miles apart, and our offices for 
many years less than three blocks distant and on the same 
thoroughfare. 

During the first session of the present Congress a con- 
stituent of mine wanted a place in one of the Departments 
here. I experienced considerable difficulty in obtaining it. 
In speaking to Mr. Otis about it, he said, "Why, I can 
help you accomplish your friend's desire." I asked him 
when it would suit his convenience to accompany me to the 
Department having the matter in charge, and his reply 
was, "Now." We left the House, and within an hour my 
friend was appointed. 



Address of Mr. Goulden, of New York 21 

This was one of his characteristics, and hundreds of men, 
and women, too, can bear testimony to his noble-heartedness 
and prompt action in matters of this kind. 

The poet had a man of Mr. OTIS'S parts in mind when 
he wrote: 

Honor and shame from no condition rise; 
Act well your part, there all the honor lies. 

In the business world his honest, straightforward manner 
of doing things was recognized and respected. As the head oi 
a large manufacturing establishment he was highly esteemed 
and his men loved him. No strikes or turmoil ever invaded 
his works. He was an example to the employers of labor that 
they might emulate with profit. 

In his political life, covering a period of twenty-five years, 
beginning as mayor of Yonkers and ending with Congress, 
110 blot or stain ever tarnished his fair name. Always honor- 
able and fair with those associated with him in the affairs 
of his municipality, State, and nation, recognizing the duties 
and responsibilities of the office he occupied, and with the one 
idea prominently before him to serve the people faithfully 
and honestly, he was a model official. His motto expressed 
in deeds was: 

Let all the ends thou aim'st at be 
Thy country's, God's and truth's. 

It was, however, in the home that Norton P. Otis was pre- 
eminently distinguished. Surrounded by a devoted wife and 
loving children in his magnificent house on the banks of that 
famous and classic river, the Hudson, Ik- enjoyed life. In 
October last, just after he returned from St. John's Riverside 
Hospital, of which he was president, I had the pleasure of 
enjoying a visit to this ideal home of an American citizen. I 
found him surrounded by his interesting family, enjoying the 



22 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

comforts and pleasures of home. It reminded me of the poet's 
description of a home : 

Home's not merely four square walls, 

Though with pictures hung and gilded; 
Home is where affection calls, 

Filled with shrines the heart hath builded. 
Home! go watch the faithful dove 

Sailing 'neath the heaven above us. 
Home is where there's one to love; 

Home is where there's one to love us. 

The members of the committee from this body who assem- 
bled at the home of Norton P. Otis on Friday morning, 
February 24, to pay their last sad tribute of respect and love 
to him, were all deeply impressed with its surroundings. As 
we filed by the casket and took our farewell of the dead we 
felt that not only his colleagues and friends, but the nation as 
well, had sustained an irreparable loss. 

The simple but impressive service at the home and in the 
church will never be forgotten by those who were present. 
The eloquent and touching tribute of his pastor, a masterful 
eulogy on the life and labors of Norton P. Otis, was worthy 
of the man. The immense throng — hundreds unable to gain 
admission to the sacred edifice — the flags all over the city of 
Yonkers at half-mast, the closed places of business, with sor- 
rowful faces everywhere, attested the universal respect and 
affection in which our colleague was held by the people amongst 
whom he had lived for nearly half a century. 

Let us cherish his memory as a citizen, as a friend, and as 
a man, ever mindful of his deeds, which will live Ions; after 
the marble erected over his last resting place has crumbled 
to dust. 



Address of Mr. Cooper, of Pennsylvania 



Address of Mr. Cooper, of Pennsylvania 

Mr. Speaker: I desire to join in this last tribute of respect 
to the memory of our late colleague, Norton P- Otis. In his 
death there has gone out from among us forever one of the 
kindest, truest, and most gracious gentlemen it has ever been 
my good fortune to know. When I selected and occupied my 
seat at the opening session of this Congress, the friendly, kindly 
gentleman immediately to my right, whom to my recollection 
I had never seen before, extended his hand and pleasantly 
remarked, "As we are to be neighbors we may as well get 
acquainted at once. I am Mr. Otis, of New York." 

From that moment we were no longer strangers. The friend- 
ship thus begun continued and increased as time passed on. 
His removal from this Chamber and the scenes and activities of 
this life is not to me as the mere passing of a stranger I may 
have chanced to meet upon the highway of life. My close 
association with him during the first and second sessions of 
the Fifty-eighth Congress gave me an opportunity to become 
familiar with his life and character, so far as is possible in 
public life in such a limited time. He was a noble, upright 
man, eharacteri/.ed by honesty of purpose ami an unfaltering 
loyalty and patriotism to his country and constituency. 

His private life was as clean and pure as the snows that fall 
from Heaven and cover the hills along the banks of the great 
river that wends its way by his late home. His every thought 
and action seemed to be controlled by a high and lofty concep- 
tion of a proper discharge of his official duties. The humblest 
constituent was the subject of equal concern with those occupy- 



24 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

ing the higher stations in life. Kindly in his disposition, the 
poor and unfortunate always excited his sympathy and were 
the subjects of his bounteous generosity. A man of broad 
and liberal culture, he was an earnest advocate of public 
enterprises and improvements which had for their object the 
advancement of the public good. A man of business and affairs, 
he possessed a superior knowledge of the needs of his district 
and the country. 

Safe, conservative, and possessing a well-balanced mind he 
approached every public duty with an intelligence and honesty 
of purpose which commanded the confidence and respect of 
all who knew him. He was modest, kind, and unassuming; 
but few men knew more of the practical questions of the hour 
or had a clearer conception of the functions of government. 

Recognizing the power and prestige of long and continuous 
service in this body, he was content with the field allotted to 
new Members, but he always investigated questions of legisla- 
tion for himself, and endeavored to vote and act intelligently 
and patriotically. He studied every public question with an 
eye single to the welfare of his constituents and our common 
country. 

No selfish purpose found place with him, and in his death 
the great State he so well represented has lost an honest, 
upright, patriotic, and valued public servant. But one day 
during the present session was he able to occupy his seat; the 
dread disease which had taken firm hold upon him and marked 
him for its victim was doing its deadly work; but he never 
complained. Fully aware that a few months, at most, must 
be the measure of his earthly career he seemed cheerful and 
scarcely alluded to his illness. 

The family circle has been broken; a kind and loving hus- 
band and father having finished his work here has passed 



Address of Mr. Cooper, of Pennsylvania 25 

from the cares and anxieties of this world, let us hope, to the 
eternal bliss awaiting those who have earned the Master's 
reward through the accomplishments of a well-spent life. In 
the career of our deceased friend and fellow- Member we find 
much to admire and emulate. By his unselfish, useful, and 
Christian life he contributed materially to his country's good, 
and has left a priceless heritage to his family and friends. 



26 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 



Address of Mr. Bonynge, of Colorado 

Mr. Speaker: It was not my good fortune to have an 
intimate personal acquaintance with the late Norton P. Otis. 
A little over a year ago I had the pleasure of meeting him as 
a member of the Committee on Patents of the House. During 
the last session of this Congress that committee held frequent 
meetings. Mr. Otis was a regular attendant at such meetings 
and took a very active and lively interest in all of its proceed- 
ings. His open, frank, and charming disposition, his keen 
and intelligent interest in the intricate questions that came 
before the committee, and the clear and mature business judg- 
ment that he brought to their solution won for him the respect 
and esteem, and, I may add, the love of all the members of 
that committee. There is not a member of that committee 
who does not sincerely feel that in the death of their colleague 
the committee has lost a most useful and able member, whose 
long and honorable experience in the business world peculiarly 
qualified him to aid and assist it in reaching correct conclusions 
upon the business bearing of main- of the questions that from 
time to time were submitted for its consideration. 

He led an exceptionally happy and honorable life. Born at 
Halifax, Vt., on March iS, 1840, he was educated in the public 
schools of Albany and Vonkers, and at the early age of iS 
entered his father's elevator works, with which business he was 
continuously identified to the time of his death. With the 
marvelous growth and development of the general business of 
the country, and particularly of the empire city and its suburbs, 
his business kept pace, and yet he did not become a slave to it. 



Address of Mr. Bonynge, of Colorado 27 

In these days of large industrial enterprises we too often 
find that the men who direct and control such enterprises 
become one-sided in their natures — narrow, greedy, and grasp- 
ing. It was not so with Norton P. Otis. His large and 
steadily growing business interest claimed and received from 
him his careful attention, but he did not permit them to absorb 
his whole life, to make him regardless of the welfare of his 
neighbors and fellow-men, or neglectful of his duties as a 
citizen of his town, his State, and his country. 

For well-nigh fifty years he was connected in one capacity 
or another with the Otis Elevator Company. Entering the 
business in his youth, he mastered its every detail and suc- 
cessively filled the positions of treasurer, vice-president, presi- 
dent, and chairman of the board of directors of the company. 
Scarcely any manufacturing concern employing a large num- 
ber of men has during those years been entirely free from 
industrial strife between the employer and employee. The 
best proof of his upright and honorable dealings with his 
men i-> to be found in the fact that in the past half century, 
so fraught with strikes and lockouts, Norton P. Otis never 
had a strike among his numerous workmen. 

He was loved and respected by those who knew him best, 
and no better testimonial of a man's character can be found 
than in his ability to retain the good will, the friendship, the 
esteem, and the love of his neighbors. His fellow-townsmen 
delighted to honor him. He was elected mayor of Yonkers, 
where practically all of his life from boyhood was spent. 

He represented faithfully and ably the people of his county 
in the New York State assembly, where he served as a mem- 
ber of the committee on cities at a time when the present 
Chief Magistrate of the nation was its chairman. Later he- 
was chosen as president of the New York State commission 
to the Paris exposition of 1900. So ably and well did he 



28 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

discharge the duties of these various positions that the people 
of his Congressional district in 1902 selected him as their 
Representative in the Congress of the United States. Failing 
health induced him to decline a renomination in 1904, and at 
the time of his death he was about to close his short but 
honorable and useful career as a Member of this House. 

He gave much of his time to charitable and benevolent 
institutions. At the time of his death he was president of 
St. John's Riverside Hospital, of Yonkers, where he spent 
all the days of his active career. His , was a lovable and 
kind disposition. 

His life was filled with good deeds, and there are many 
living to-day who can truthfully say that their lives are hap- 
pier and more useful and the world, so far as his personal 
influence could reach, is better because Norton P. Otis 
lived. What better tribute can be paid to man? He had not 
lived out his three score years and ten, and it seemed as if 
so useful a life might have been prolonged for many years. 
Who can read the inscrutable ways of Providence? Every 
dav that we live we have new evidence that the finite judg- 
ment of man can not comprehend the infinite wisdom of the 
Almighty. In the face of death we can only bow our heads 
in reverence and say, "Thy will be done." Norton P. 
Otis had nothing to fear in death. His life had been pure 
and good, and though he no longer will be with us the in- 
fluence that he exerted in life for the betterment of man- 
kind will live and grow with succeeding years. No power, 
either for good or evil, is ever set in motion and wholly 
dies The influence of each life that is lived is felt for gen- 
erations to come. Norton P. Otis has crossed to the other 
side of the dark river, but the good influence of his manly 
and lovable character, of his noble and charitable deeds, and 
of his upright and useful career will never wholly die. 



Address of Mr. Stevens, of Minnesota 29 



Address of Mr. Stevens, of Minnesota 

Mr. Speaker. It was not ray privilege to enjoy an intimate 
acquaintance with Mr. Otis, but some of his near relatives are 
my townsmen and constituents, and lie frequently visited the 
city of .St. Paid, where I reside. I have in this manner, 
through mutual friends, become well advised as to his career 
and general character. It is therefore to me a melancholy 
satisfaction to join my voice in tribute to his many admirable 
qualities and to share in the regret which his own colleagues 
feel over his untimely demise. 

It has seemed to me proper to present a concise biographical 
sketch which may appropriately hold a place in the official 
memorial to his life ami public services. 

Mr. Otis was born in Halifax, Vt., on March 18, 1840. 
His father was Elisha (".raves Otis and his mother Susan A. 
Houghton. He received his early training and education in 
the public schools at Halifax, Yt., Albany, X. V., and Hudson, 
X. J., in which places his parents resided at various times. 
On the removal of the family to Yonkers, he attended district 
school Xo. 2. 

Upon attaining his eighteenth year he entered his father's 
elevator shop, which was then in its infancy. He there learned 
the trade, and upon the decease of his father in 1861 he, 
together with his brother, Charles R. Otis, assumed control of 
the business. In 1864 the company was incorporated under 
the name of Otis Brothers & Co., Mr. Otis being treasurer. 
During the next ten years he traveled extensively throughout 
the United States, Canada, and Europe, introducing passenger 
and freight elevators. 



30 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

His brother retired from business in 1S90, and Mr. Otis 
became the president of the company. When the various 
elevator companies were consolidated a few years ago, lie 
was made president of the board of directors. 

The Otis firm were the pioneers in the elevator business, 
and the products of their skill and inventive genius are to 
be found all over the world. They built the elevator in use 
in the Washington Monument in the national capital, and 
also the one in the famous Eiffel Tower at the Paris Expo- 
sition in 1890. 

Mr. Otis had always been actively interested in the 
educational, social, and political life of Yonkers, and he was 
identified with several philanthropic institutions of the city. 

In the spring of 1880 he was nominated by the Repub- 
licans as their candidate for mayor, and was elected 1>\ a 
large majority. During his administration many important 
and valuable changes were made in the various departments 
of the city government. The fire department was reorganized ; 
the various district schools were consolidated under one board, 
and . their efficiency was greatly advanced. The waterworks 
were largely augmented by the introduction of new and 
improved machinery. Under his practical, businesslike admin- 
istration, the city's bonded indebtedness was appreciably 
reduced. 

His services earned for him not only the approbation of 
his own party, but the confidence and esteenrof the opposition. 
At the close of his term as mayor he was elected to the 
State assembly by a large plurality in what was then an 
overwhelming Democratic district. As an assemblyman he 
was the author of many important measures, among the most 
notable of which was the bill reducing the exorbitant rate 
charged on railroads and a bill giving power to cities and 



Address of Mr. Stevens, of Minnesota 31 

towns to regulate or refuse admission to excursion parties 
from New York. He was a member of the cities committee, 
of which at the time Theodore Roosevelt, now President of 
the United States, was chairman. 

Mr. Otis was nominated for Member of Congress in the 
Westchester district in 1900. The Congressional district at 
that time included the annexed district of New York, and was 
Democratic in politics. He was defeated by a small plurality 
by Cornelius A. Pugsley. Two years later Mr. Otis was again 
a candidate, and was elected over Mr. Pugsley by a vote of 
[7,878 to i7,o.v s - He was appointed to the House Committees 
on Patents and Manufactures. 

He was to have been named again last spring, but, owing to 
his ill health, he declined to accept a renomination. In com- 
memoration he was tendered a complimentary dinner in the 
Getty House, in Yonkers, two years ago. 

He was appointed by Governor Odell as president of the 
New York State commission to the Paris Exposition in 1900, 
at which several prizes were awarded to exhibitors from his 
vState. He was president of the board of managers of St. 
John's Riverside Hospital, in Yonkers; was connected with the 
First Presbyterian Church, and was a member of the West- 
chester Historical Society, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 
and of the Engineers' and Fulton clubs, of Xew York. He 
was also a director of the Hollywood Inn. 

Mr. Otis married, in 1877, Miss Elizabeth A. Fahs, of York, 
Pa. They had ten children, of whom two daughters died in 
infancy. The widow and eight children — Charles E., Sydney, 
Arthur Houghton, Norton P., jr., Katherine Lois, Ruth Ade- 
laide, James Russell Lowell, and Carolyn Myrtle — survive. 

In addition to his sterling business qualities, Mr. Otis was a 
close student, and he kept in touch with the best thought of 



32 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

the day. He was sagacious and honorable in all his dealings 
with his fellow-men, and he discountenanced everything that 
savored of political trickery and corruption. Whatever duties 
he had, he discharged with credit to himself and with an eye to 
the welfare of the community he served. He was preemi- 
nently a Christian gentleman. 

The departure of such a man brings deep sorrow to the 
family circle and widespread regret to the community in which 
he has lived. But to the weary sufferer himself, sighing for 
release and rest, there may be exultation in the assurance of 
a glorious immortality. 

There's a land beyond the river 

That we call the sweet Forever, 
And we only reach its shores by faith's decree. 

One by one we'll gain its portals, 

There to dwell w-ith the immortals, 
When they ring the golden bells for you and me. 

There will be no sin or sorrow 

In that haven of to-morrow, 
When our bark shall sail across the silver sea. 

There will only be the blessing 

Of our Father's sweet caressing, 
When they ring the golden bells for you and me. 

Mr. Otis died at his residence in Hudson Terrace, Yotikers, 
N. V., February 20, 1905. About eighteen months previously 
he endured a severe operation for cancer, from which much 
temporary relief was received; but the disease again developed, 
and for nearly two mouths before his decease he had been 
confined to his room. His sufferings were borne with great 
patience, and all the members of his family were at his bedside 
when the end came. 

The funeral services were held in the First Presbyterian 
Church of Yonkers, February 24, 1905, and were numerously 
attended. Among the sincere mourners who helped form the 



Address of Mr. Stevens, of Minnesota 33 

procession at the funeral were 982 employees of the elevator 
works, of which Mr. Otis was the head, and with which he 
had had an almost lifelong connection. 

The pallbearers were William D. Baldwin, president, and 
A. G. Mills, vice-president, of the Otis Elevator Company; 
George R. Bunker, vice-president of the board of managers 
of St. John's Riverside Hospital; Charles E. Gorton, member 
of the hoard of directors of the Hollywood Inn; Mayor John 
E. Andrus, Leslie Saunders, James S. Fitch, and Wallis Smith. 

Representing Congress were Senators Burrows, Elkius. 
Martin, and Blackburn; Representatives Currier, Smith, 
Sulzer, Douglas, Bassett, Gouldeu, Bonyuge, Legare, Thomas, 
and Dickerman. 

As an estimate of the character of Mr. Otis, nothing could 
be more appropriate here than the tribute paid to him by the 
pastor of the church, Rev. Dr. William P. Stevenson, who 
preached the funeral sermon, from which the following extract 
is given: 

This noble man, whom we so deeply mourn to-day, touched the lives of 
his fellow-men at many points and always helpfully, always with the most 
gentle kindness and winning modesty. It is the remembrance of his 
shrinking distaste of praise and publicity which makes it impossible for 
me to say a tithe of what might justly and truly be said of his life and 
character. But happilv such is the innate, inherent power of such a life 
that its deeds render words superfluous and loudest praise sinks into the 
veriest whisper when placed beside such worthily persistent performance. 

So many and so varied were the interests and activities of his heart anil 
hands that each one of us may have his own picture of his helpful per- 
sonality. Some of you as you sit in this quiet place are thinking of him 
as the successful business man, inventive, resourceful, energetic, and 
withal so just and so generous, so fair and so sympathetic, as that in all 
the years of his controlling great enterprises there was never a strike, 
never a serious dispute, amongst his many employees. 

And some of you are thinking of him as a public-spirited, broad-minded 
citizen, who was deeply interested in all that made for the betterment of 
civic conditions; who labored intelligently to increase the efficiency of 
our public schools; who accepted the various high offices to which In- was 

H. Doc. 469. 58-3 3 



34 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

called by his fellow-citizens as a sacred trust, and who discharged his 
duties as mayor, as assemblyman, and as Congressman faithfully, fearlessly, 
and with incorruptible, stainless honor. 

And some of you are thinking of him as the generous-hearted philan- 
thropist, who ever gave without grudging of his wise counsel and liberal 
support to any project or to any institution which had for its aim the 
helping and the blessing of his fellow-men. 

And others of you, more favored still, knowing him in the social circle 
and in the home, are thinking of him as the loyal friend, the kind father, 
the faithful husband, whose latest conscious breath was spent in a loving 
farewell to her who had loved him longest and best of all. 

But there are others of us here who, seeing and honoring him in all 
these relations which he so much adorned, will ever preserve untarnished 
in our memories a scene which shows him just one year ago standing be- 
side his stalwart sons in this sacred place where now he lies in quiet state, 
and with them, in the presence of a hushed and reverent congregation, as 
simply and as humbly as a little child confessing his personal faith in the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Not that he then for the first time became a Chris- 
tian—such he had been long before — but then and there, for his sons' 
sake, for his own sake, and above all for his Savior's sake, he gave the 
public testimony of his lips to the faith which for many years he had so 
truly exemplified in his life. And through that faith he steadily faced 
death during the past eight months with a courage that never faltered; 
by that faith he bore sore, slow tortures without complaint; and in that 
faith he tranquilly and triumphantly died. 



Address of Mr. Dunwell, of New York 35 



Address of Mr. Dunwell, of New York 

Mr. Speaker: No element in American citizenship since the 
foundation of the Republic has performed more distinguished 
services to our country — services which have marked its prog- 
ress among the nations and which have finally brought it to 
the proud position which to-day it occupies in the world — than 
the great middle class among our people, which has ever been 
foremost in the real work of mankind. 

It has pushed its way in the industries, the arts, the sciences, 
inventions; constantly forging ahead in the great march of 
improvement and civilization, pressing us on and ever on to 
higher planes of achievement, to nobler and better modes of 
life. 

( )ur esteemed and beloved colleague, Xorton P. Otis, was 
a conspicuous example of what this plain, unassuming, whole- 
hearted, and high-minded American citizen can accomplish in 
the short span of a human life in this great, free land of ours. 

Born in a little town among the beautiful hills of Vermont, 
he had no advantages in his youth which are not the common 
heritage of every American boy. He received his education 
in the common schools of the country, and at the age of i,S 
became associated with his father in business, and by honest 
effort and fair dealing with his fellow-men amassed a lar^e 
fortune. 

A greater degree of success than falls to the lot of most men 
was his; but throughout a long life he never for one moment 
lost the sweet freshness of spirit and the beautiful Christian 
graces which were his chief charms. 



36 Life and Character of Norton P. Otis 

Having known him for many years, I feel warranted in 
saying that no man ever transacted business with him who 
did not learn to respect his rugged honesty and singleness of 
purpose. No man ever touched his social side who did not 
esteem his friendship. No man ever knew him well who did 
not love him. 

Engaged in great enterprises, spreading over two continents 
in their scope, he was never spoiled by success. His heart 
always abounded in the kindliest feelings toward his fellow- 
men. 

It would be strange indeed if such a character should not 
receive popular recognition in the community in which he 
lived, and we find that the beautiful city on the Hudson, where 
for fifty years he made his home, knew his worth and loved 
him well. 

Twenty-five years ago he became mayor of Yonkers and 
ably and honorably discharged the duties of that high office, 
as he did the duties of every position to which he was ever 
called. 

Three years later he was elected by his fellow-citizens 
a member of the legislature of the State, and became a 
member of the important committee on cities, of which our 
illustrious President was at the time chairman. He was 
afterwards chosen, because of his distinguished business 
ability, president of the New York State commission to the 
Paris Exposition of 1900; and, as a fitting crown to his 
career, the citizens of the Nineteenth Congressional district 
of New York elected him in 1902 a member of the Fifty- 
eighth Congress of the United States. As a Member of 
Congress he was the same earnest, painstaking, able official 
he had ever been, when called by the people to public 
place, and his manly worth and public and private virtues 
have left their impress on his colleagues. 



Address of Mr. Dunwell, of New York 37 

Loyal and true to every trust, modest and sincere in every 
act of his life, he has passed from earth to those great 
rewards which our loving Father in heaven ever bestows 
upon the just and good. 

LEAVE TO PRINT. 

The Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Sherman). If there he 
no objection, permission will be granted for ten days to such 
Members as desire to print remarks upon the life and char- 
acter of Mr. Otis. 

The question is on agreeing to the resolutions. 

The resolutions were agreed to; and in accordance there- 
with, and with the order previously made, the House ( at 
2 o'clock and 38 minutes p. m. ) adjourned until to-morrow, 
Monday. February 27, 1905, at 1 1 a. m. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE 

February 21, 1905. 

message from the house. 

The message also communicated to the Senate the intelli- 
gence of the death of Hon. Norton P. Otis, late a Represent- 
ative from the State of New York, and transmitted resolutions 
of the House thereon. 

DEATH OF REPRESENTATIVE NORTON P. OTIS. 

Mr. Fairbanks. Mr. President, for the senior Senator 
from New York [Mr. Piatt] I call up the resolutions trans- 
mitted from the House of Representatives announcing the 
death of his colleague in that body. 

The Presiding Officer (Mr. Kean in the chair) laid before 

the Senate the resolutions of the House of Representatives, 

which were read, as follows: 

In the House of Representatives, 

February 20, 1005. 

Resolved, That the House has heard with profound regret of the 
untimely death of Hon. Norton P. Otis, late a Representative from the 
State of New York. 

Resolved, That a committee of eleven Members of the House, with 
such members of the Senate as may be joined, be appointed to attend the 
funeral. 

Resolved, That the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives hv 
authorized and directed to take such steps as may be necessary for carry- 
ing out the provisions of these resolutions, and that the necessary expense 
in connection therewith be paid out of the contingent fund of the House. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate 
and transmit a copy thereof to the family of the deceased. 

The Speaker appointed as a committee to attend the funeral Mr. Sher- 
man, Mr. Currier, Mr. Smith of New York. Mr. Sulzer, Mr. Douglas, Mr. 
Bassett, Mr. Goulden, Mr. Bonynge, Mr. Legare, Mr. Thomas, and Mr. 
Dickerman. 

39 



^^Usp 



40 Life a ud Character of Norton P. Otis 

Mr. Fairbanks. On behalf of the senior Senator from New 
York I ask for the adoption of the resolutions I send to the 
desk . 

The Presiding Officer. The resolutions will be read. 

The resolutions were read aud unanimously agreed to, as 
follows : 

Resolved, That the Senate has heard with deep sensibility the announce- 
ment of the death of Hon. Norton P. Otis, late a Representative from 
the State of New York. 

Resolved, That a committee of five Senators be appointed by the Pre- 
siding < >fficer to join the committee appointed on the part of the House of 
Representatives, to take order for superintending the funeral of the 
deceased. 

Resolved, That the Secretary communicate these resolutions to the 
House of Representatives. 

The Presiding Officer appointed as the committee on the 
part of the Senate under the second resolution Mr. Depew, 
Mr. Burrows, Mr. Elkins, Mr. Martin, and Mr. Blackburn. 

Mr, Fairbanks. Mr. President, for the senior Senator 
from New York I move as a further mark of respect to the 
memory of the deceased that the Senate do now adjourn. 

The motion was unanimously agreed to: and (at 6 o'clock 
and 10 minutes p. m. ) the Senate adjourned until to-morrow. 
Wednesday, February 22, 1905, at 11 o'clock a. m. 

message from the house. 

February 27, 1905. 
The message also transmitted resolutions of the House com- 
memorative of the life and public services of Hon. Norton 
P. Otis, late a Representative from the State of New York. 

O 



'flK 









: 



